October 13 massacre

The October 13 massacre occurred on 13 October 1990 when the Syrian Arab Army executed 240 captured Lebanese Army troops and Lebanese civilians in Beirut, Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War. The massacre occurred during the "war of liberation" (1989-1990), during which General Michel Aoun declared that his Lebanese Army forces would resist the Syrian occupation forces. Syrian leader Hafez al-Assad gained the green light to crush Aoun in exchange for contributing 10,000 troops and 200 tanks to the Gulf War, and the Syrian troops, Progressive Socialist Party, and Amal Movement militias stormed the presidential palace in the Baabda neighborhood of Beirut, killing up to 700 Lebanese troops. The Syrian troops and allied militias turned to plundering and executed up to 240 captured Lebanese troops and civilians, cementing Syrian control over Lebanon. The massacre was the final action of the war, which ended the same day; the Israel-Hezbollah conflict in South Lebanon continued until 2000, and Syrian occupation would continue until 30 April 2005.